Nikon D3300 versus Canon 1300D

The Nikon D3300 and the Canon EOS 1300D (labelled Canon T6 in some countries) are two digital cameras that were announced, respectively,
in January 2014 and March 2016. Both are DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras that are equipped with an APS-C sensor. The Nikon has a resolution of 24 megapixel, whereas the Canon provides 17.9 MP. Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their size, their sensors, their features, and their reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison: Nikon D3300 vs Canon 1300D

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size and weight of the Nikon D3300 and the Canon 1300D. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter. You can also toggle the display to switch to a percentage comparison if you prefer that the measures are being expressed in relative terms (in this case, the camera on the left – the D3300 – represents 100 percent across all the size and weight measures).

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size,
the Canon 1300D is notably larger (7 percent) than the Nikon D3300. Moreover, the 1300D is markedly heavier (13 percent) than the D3300. In this context, it is worth noting that neither the D3300 nor the 1300D are weather-sealed.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete since they do not consider the interchangeable lenses
that both of these cameras require. Yet, since both cameras are based around an APS-C sensor, their respective lenses will tend to have similar dimensions and heft.
You can find an overview of optics for the two cameras in the Nikon Lens Catalog (D3300) and the Canon EF Lens Catalog (1300D).

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the two cameras alongside a broader set of comparators. In case you want to display and compare another camera duo, just click on the right or left
arrow next to the camera that you would like to inspect. Alternatively, you can also use the CAM-parator to
select your camera combination among a larger number of options.

The camera’s price is obviously a critical decision-making factor. The listed launch prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The 1300D was somewhat cheaper (by 10 percent) than the D3300 at launch, but both cameras fall into the same price category. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison: Nikon D3300 vs Canon 1300D

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

Both cameras under consideration feature an APS-C sensor, but their sensors
differ slightly in size. The sensor area in the 1300D is 10 percent smaller. As a result of these sensor size differences, the cameras have format factors, respectively, of 1.5 (D3300) and 1.6. Both cameras have a native aspect ratio (sensor width to sensor height) of 3:2.

With 24MP, the D3300 offers a higher
resolution than the 1300D (17.9MP), but the D3300 has smaller individual pixels (pixel pitch of
3.91μm versus 4.31μm for the 1300D). Moreover, the 1300D is a somewhat more recent model (by 2 years and 2 months) than the D3300, and its sensor
might have benefitted from technological advances during this time that enhance the light gathering capacity of its pixels. Coming back to sensor resolution, it should be mentioned that the D3300 has no anti-alias filter installed, so that it can capture all the detail its sensor resolves.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for many cameras. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of comparators.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. Both cameras under consideration have a sensor with sufficiently fast read-out times for moving pictures, but the D3300 provides a higher frame rate than the 1300D. It can shoot video footage at 1080/60p, while the Canon is limited to 1080/30p.

Feature comparison: Nikon D3300 vs Canon 1300D

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. The D3300 and the 1300D are similar in the sense that both have an optical viewfinder.
The latter is useful for getting a clear image for framing even in brightly lit environments. The following table reports on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Nikon D3300, the Canon 1300D, and comparable cameras. If you need more detail on the specs, you can find comprehensive listings, for example, in the dpreview camera hub.

Less heavy: Is lighter (by 55g or 11 percent) and hence easier to carry around.

Longer lasting: Can take more shots (700 versus 500) on a single battery charge.

More heavily discounted: Has been available for much longer (launched in January 2014).

Reasons to prefer the Canon EOS 1300D:

Better moiré control: Has an anti-alias filter to avoid artificial patterns to appear in images.

More modern: Reflects 2 years and 2 months of technical progress since the D3300 launch.

If the number of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a guide, the D3300 is the clear winner of the match-up (7 : 2 points). However, the pertinence of the various camera strengths will differ across photographers, so that you might want to weigh individual camera traits according to their importance for your own imaging needs before making a camera decision.

D3300 07:02 1300D

In any case, while the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the D3300 or the 1300D handle or perform in practice. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. This is why expert reviews are important. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog). The full reviews are available by clicking on the site logo in the table header.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The ratings are only valid when refering to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities of other camera models, just make your choice using the following search menu. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool. If you do not see the camera that you are looking for, please send me an email, and I will try to locate and add the respective data to the application.